Chapter 53: Junior Disciples' Martial Arts Competition (Part 1)
Before long, Huang Zongyuan led the people of the Niu, Cheng and Zhang families to the main hall of the Huang family.
Three newcomers, all of whom are about forty years old and innate masters, have a cultivation base of Innate Realm Second Order. They are the second-in-command of the Niu, Cheng, and Zhang families, with a relatively high status.
Niu Jia Niu Zhenyue, Cheng Jia Cheng Yuangong, Zhang Jia Zhang Gusu.
Seeing the three of them, the Huang family members' eyes flashed with a hint of surprise. These three individuals were second only to their respective family heads in status and power. For all of them to arrive at the Huang residence simultaneously today was definitely not a trivial matter.
Niu Zhenyue, Cheng Yuangong and Zhang Gusong entered the main hall with an air of arrogance, their eyes scanning the faces of the Huang family members. Niu Zhenyue held a letter of invitation in his hand, and his gaze lingered on Xuan Tian for a moment.
Three people were proud, and there was no politeness. Niu Zhenyue's gaze returned to Xuan Tian's body and said: "Huang's master, in Beimang County, the three families of Niu, Cheng, and Zhang have a rule. Every year at the end of the year, each family sends out a younger generation disciple to compete in martial arts, rewarding those who win the competition to encourage the younger generation disciples to practice.
It's the time of the grand festival, a joyous occasion. The Niú, Chéng and Zhāng families each brought out some prizes to wager on a martial arts competition among their younger generation. Whoever's disciple gets first place wins these prizes. In Běi Mò County, apart from the Niú, Chéng and Zhāng families, there are no other families qualified to participate in this junior disciples' martial arts competition.
However, your Huang family has developed rapidly in recent years and has become the master of a town, dominating one side. You already have the qualifications to sit on an equal footing with our three big families, Niu, Cheng, and Zhang. Therefore, we three big families have decided to invite the Huang family to participate in this year's junior martial arts competition, which has been announced throughout the county and everyone knows about it.
"Huang family head, are you going to be a turtle with its head shrunk in, making excuses for this martial duel, or will you show some manliness and accept this challenge?"
Niu Zhenyue was majestic and imposing, with a proud expression. As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and threw the invitation card in his hand to Huang Yuancheng.
Huang Yuancheng stretched out his hand and caught the invitation card that was shot over quickly.
"You three families, Niu, Cheng and Zhang, the strongest among your younger generation disciples are only at the first level of Xiantian cultivation. My son Huang Wei has also entered Xiantian this year. How can the Huang family be afraid of you three families? This year's junior disciple competition, the Huang family will surely win."
Huang Yuancheng had not spoken yet, but Huang Mingshan already responded with great momentum.
However, Huang Yuancheng did not blame him. Huang Yuancheng had almost reached the end of his life and would soon pass on the position of head of the Huang family to Huang Mingshan one day. This time, the Niu, Cheng, and Zhang families came with great fanfare, and Huang Mingshan naturally would not show weakness, destroying the prestige of the Huang family.
Hahaha...!
Niu Zhenyue burst out laughing and said, "Good! Agreeing is indeed quite refreshing. However, I'll post the rewards for this year's junior martial arts competition, as well as the stakes put up by each family. If Huang's family loses later on, I hope they can be just as refreshing, haha... Let's go!"
Having said that, Niu Zhenyue didn't say a word of "farewell", turned around and walked out of the hall, Cheng Yuangong and Zhang Guisong looked at the Huang family with satisfaction, followed behind Niu Zhenyue, and walked out of the Huang house.
As Niu Zhenyue, Cheng Yuangong and Zhang Gusu's auras disappeared, Huang Qishan said: "Father, what are the rewards and stakes for this junior generation martial arts competition?"
Huang Yuancheng had already opened the invitation letter and, upon hearing this, silently handed the letter to Huang Qishan.
Huang Qishan took the invitation card and looked at it, exclaiming: "The stake is a town? Our Huang family only has one Huangbai Town. We have worked hard to establish ourselves in Beimang County and stand firm in Huangbai Town. If we lose, won't our foundation be gone?"
Everyone was shocked upon hearing this, and they instantly understood the purpose of the three families: Niu, Cheng, and Zhang.
Huang Mingshan was also slightly stunned, clearly not expecting that the stakes were so high, and it turned out to be a town.
Beimucheng County has a total of thirty towns, which are divided into large and small ones. The larger towns have businesses worth 4-5 million taels of silver, with an annual net profit of over 1 million taels of silver. The smaller towns have businesses worth 2-3 million taels of silver, with an annual net profit of over 600,000 taels of silver.
The only town controlled by the Huang family is Huangbo Town, which is located in Beimo County and is considered to be of high grade. The value of its industries exceeds 40 million taels of silver, with an annual pure profit of over 10 million taels of silver.
This younger generation's martial arts competition, the Niu, Cheng and Zhang families have almost grasped the Huang family's foundation. As long as the Huang family loses, they will destroy the Huang family's foundation in Beimang County, which has been built up over several years, all ruined in an instant.
It can be said that this is a battle that Huang's family cannot afford to lose.
Huang Mingshan's expression quickly returned to normal, and he said with a twitch of his eye: "The stakes are high, very unfavorable to our Huang family. But if we win, we will gain three towns, at least doubling the size of our business. Wei'er has already entered the Xiantian realm, I'll teach him some secret techniques, and with his cultivation in the same realm, those young whippersnappers from the Niu, Cheng, and Zhang families are absolutely no match for Wei'er. We will definitely win."
The Huang family was once a fifth-rank aristocratic family, with secret manuals of the Earth Stage in their clan. The Niu, Cheng, and Zhang families were only small ninth-rank families, and the highest-level martial arts secret manuals in their clans were only of the Xuan Stage lower rank.
What Huang Mingshan said was not false. With the same level of cultivation in the First Heaven, as long as he taught Huang Wei a little bit of the Huang family's secret technique, even a Second Heaven warrior would not be his match, and he could win the martial competition with 100% certainty.
However, there was no joy on everyone's face. Huang Qishan said: "If our identities are exposed and that person finds out, we'll be in trouble. We've already lost the ability to resist."
Looking at everyone's expression, it is clear that what they are thinking in their hearts is no different from Huang Qishan.
When it comes to that person, Huang Mingshan's face also changed. Even Xuan Hong, a super strong man in the Tianjie realm, was defeated by him and chased all the way, causing Xuan Hong's meridians to be completely broken, becoming a useless person. If that person finds out about his whereabouts again, the Huang family will indeed have no choice but to die.
Huang Mingshan said, "The Niu, Cheng and Zhang families all came to challenge us, if we don't respond, would the Huang family really become a turtle with its head shrunk in? The Divine Knife Dynasty is at the northernmost part of the Divine State's land, it's only about the size of a palm, separated from the Xuan family's territory in the western part of the Divine State by over 180,000 miles. Beifang County is even more a place where birds don't lay eggs, how could he know so easily?"
"But... what if..." Huang Qishan said.
Huang Yuancheng raised his hand to stop the two from arguing, saying: "Things have come to this point, in order for the Huang family to thoroughly establish itself in Beimang County, it can only be done this way. As for whether that person will find out or not, let's just leave it to fate!"
"Grandfather, let me represent the Huang family in battle! There's no need to teach me the Huang family's secret techniques."
Xuantian's voice sounded, he thought for a long time and still felt that he should go to battle.
Xuan Tian's current strength is no weaker than that of a first-rank warrior in the Pre-Heaven realm. If Huang Wei were to use the Huang family's secret technique, and Xuan Ji were to obtain news about Xuan Hong and the Huang family, then the Huang family would truly be doomed, with only one path leading to death.
The cost is too high and it's not worth betting on, so Xuantian going into battle is more appropriate than Huang Wei.
However, upon hearing Xuan Tian's words, Huang Ming Shan furrowed his brow and shouted: "You think you can? What makes you think you can fight against the pre-heavenly disciples of the Niu, Cheng, and Zhang families? Are you planning to use the Xuan family's secret technique again? This news will spread like wildfire to that person's ears. Do you think harming my Huang family isn't enough, do you want to harm my entire Huang family?"
"Shut up!"
Huang Yuancheng's aged body suddenly stood up, and with a loud "slap", he slapped Huang Mingshan in the face, shouting: "You scoundrel, what nonsense are you spouting!"
Huang Mingshan was slapped by Huang Yuancheng, and a palm print appeared on his face. However, he turned his head to the side with a stubborn expression, remaining silent, apparently not thinking that he had spoken nonsense, but rather that it was his heartfelt words.
"Father, please calm down!" Huang Qishan quickly supported Huang Yuancheng's body and said: "Big brother was just speaking in anger for a moment. Hongdi is the benefactor of the Huang family. If it weren't for Hongdi, the Huang family would have been swallowed up by other families long ago, and the consequences would be unpredictable. How could we harbor resentment because of this?"
Long before Huang Yue married Xuan Hong, the Huang family had faced a crisis. In the struggle for family power, they were almost swallowed up by a fourth-grade family, but were rescued by Xuan Hong. It was then that Xuan Hong met Huang Yue and the two fell in love at first sight, becoming husband and wife. Even when some of the Xuan family elders opposed the marriage, Xuan Hong ignored them.
If it were not for this, as the successor of the Xuan family, according to normal marriage customs, he would have married a woman from a third-ranking official's family who was a direct descendant.
Xuantian glanced at Huang Ming and made a four-word judgment in his heart: "Forget kindness and betray righteousness."
The Huang family was just a fifth-grade family, and it was a direct relative of the Xuan family. With the help of the Xuan family, the Huang family obtained some higher-level martial arts secrets, which is certain. Over time, if someone's cultivation reaches the ninth level of the earth stage, the family will be promoted to a fourth-grade family.
Even able to obtain the top-grade martial arts classics, after some time, the Huang family produced a super strong man of three stages in the heavenly stage, and may even be promoted to a third-class family.
In the land of Shen Zhou, the forces are divided into nine grades, with Grade One being the highest and Grade Nine being the lowest. Whether it's a family or a sect, they all take pride in their ranking by grade.
Among them, the first, second and third products are high-end forces, the fourth, fifth and sixth products are mid-range forces, and the seventh, eighth and ninth products are low-end forces. The strength of each product force is vastly different from one another.
Top-notch forces are the powers of super-strong Tianjie realm, middle-ranking forces are the powers of strong Dijie realm, lower-ranking forces are the powers of Xiantian realm masters, and as for the powers of Wudao realm warriors, they don't even count.
Each of the five major powers is divided into three levels, and each level corresponds to a martial artist sitting in a corresponding realm of three, six, or nine layers.
For example, a 9th-grade force requires at least one Xiantian 3rd-layer expert to preside over it. An 8th-grade force requires at least one Xiantian 6th-layer expert to preside over it. A 7th-grade force requires at least one Xiantian 9th-layer expert to preside over it.
First, second and third ranks; fourth, fifth and sixth ranks in sequence of power.
Hence, among each of the top martial artists in terms of cultivation, there may be a difference of about three realms, with their overall strength not being on the same level.
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